Contents

Sections

Test Information Guide

Overview of the Tests

The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) program includes a Communication and
Literacy Skills test, PreKindergarten to grade 12 subject matter tests, a Vocational Technical Literacy
Skills Test, and an Adult Basic Education test. See www.mtel.nesinc.com for a complete list of MTEL
tests currently offered. Information on what tests must be taken may be obtained from the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website, www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/.

All tests included in the program are criterion referenced; that is, they are designed to measure a
candidate's knowledge in relation to an established standard of competence (criterion) rather than in
relation to the performance of other candidates. Each MTEL test is also objective-based; that is, it
is based on content stated in a set of test objectives for the test field. The purpose of the tests is to
help identify those candidates who have the appropriate level of knowledge and skills judged to be
important for educators in Massachusetts public schools.

The MTEL tests are explicitly aligned with the relevant Massachusetts licensure regulations and the
state's standards in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks. These documents are available at
www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/; the MTEL test objectives are
available at www.mtel.nesinc.com.

Description of the Tests

All tests in the MTEL program include both multiple-choice and open-response test items. The number
of multiple-choice and open-response test items varies across the tests. Refer to the table below for
information about types and numbers of test items on each type of test.

This table lists all MTEL tests, with the correlating number of multiple-choice or open-response items.

Test Type

Test Description

Communication and Literacy Skills (01)

Reading subtest
This subtest includes 42 multiple-choice items. The multiple-choice
section counts for 100 percent of the candidate's total subtest score.

Writing subtest
This subtest includes 35 multiple-choice items, seven (7) short-answer
sentence correction items, and two open-response items—a summary
exercise and a composition exercise. The summary exercise requires
candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare an adequate
response; the composition exercise requires candidates to spend about
45–60 minutes to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice
and short-answer item section counts for 50 percent of the candidate's
score, the summary exercise counts for 15 percent of the candidate's
total test score, and the composition exercise counts for 35 percent of the
candidate's total subtest score.

These subject matter tests include 100 multiple-choice items and two open-response items requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes each to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice section accounts for 80 percent and the open-response section counts for 20 percent of the candidate's total test score.

Subject Matter Test
General Curriculum (03)

Multi-subject subtest
This subtest includes 55 multiple-choice items and one open-response item requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice section counts for 90 percent and the open-response section counts for 10 percent of the candidate's subtest score.

Mathematics subtest
This subtest includes 45 multiple-choice items and one open-response item requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice section counts for 90 percent and the open-response section counts for 10 percent of the candidate's subtest score.

Subject Matter Test
Sheltered English Immersion (56)

This subject matter test includes 60 multiple-choice items and one open-response item consisting of five parts. The open-response item requires candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare an adequate response to each of the five parts of the assignment, for a total of about 2 ½ hours for the section. The multiple-choice section counts for 60 percent and the open-response section counts for 40 percent of the candidate's total test score.

French and Spanish
The language tests in French and Spanish include approximately 100 multiple-choice items and two open-response items, one of which requires a written response and the other an oral response. The multiple-choice items count for approximately 70 percent and the open-response items count for approximately 30 percent of the candidate's total test score.

Chinese (Mandarin), German, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian
The language tests in Chinese (Mandarin), German, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian include approximately 55 multiple-choice items and short-answer items and four open-response items, one of which requires an oral response. The multiple-choice items and short-answer items count for approximately 32 percent and the open-response items count for approximately 68 percent of the candidate's total test score.

Adult Basic Education (55)

This subject matter test includes 100 multiple-choice items and two open-response items requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes each to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice section accounts for 85 percent and the open-response section counts for 15 percent of the candidate's total test score.

Vocational Technical Literacy Skills Test (91)

Reading subtest
This subtest includes 60 multiple-choice items. The multiple-choice section counts for 100 percent of the candidate's total subtest score.

Writing subtest
This subtest includes 40 multiple-choice items and two open-response items—a summary exercise and a composition exercise. The summary exercise requires candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare an adequate response; the composition exercise requires candidates to spend about 45–60 minutes to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice item section counts for 55 percent of the candidate's score; the summary and composition exercises count for 45 percent of the candidate's total subtest score.

Development of the Tests

The development process for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure involves numerous
steps. During the development of the test objectives, the Massachusetts Regulations for Educator
Licensure and Preparation Program Approval, the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks, and other
key state and national documents were consulted. Massachusetts educators participated throughout
the development process. The objectives for each test field were reviewed and validated by an
advisory panel of licensed and practicing Massachusetts public school educators and higher education
institution faculty. A content validation survey was conducted using randomly sampled, practicing
Massachusetts public school educators and higher education institution faculty members in educator
preparation programs and in the arts and sciences. Each survey participant reviewed the test
objectives in his or her field to ensure that the objectives are important to the job of a Massachusetts
educator and reflect the subject matter knowledge necessary for entry-level teaching in Massachusetts
public schools. The test items were aligned with both the test objectives and the educational materials
relevant to Massachusetts, including the state's licensure regulations and the curriculum frameworks.
The test items were reviewed and verified by Massachusetts educators for inclusion on the test.

An individual's performance on a test is evaluated against an established standard or qualifying score.
The qualifying score for each test is established by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary
and Secondary Education and is based in part on the professional judgments and recommendations of
Massachusetts educators. Candidates who do not achieve the qualifying score on a test may retake it.
Candidates who have met the qualifying score on a test are not required to retake it.

Structure of the Tests

While the content covered by each test in the MTEL program is different, the structure that underlies
the content of the tests is similar. In general, the structure is as follows:

The content of each subject matter test field is organized into three to nine subareas. These
subareas define the major content domains of the test.

Each subarea includes one or more test objectives. The test objectives are broad, conceptual
statements, written in language that reflects some of the skills, knowledge, and understanding
that an educator needs in order to teach the test field in Massachusetts public schools.

Each test objective is clarified and further described by a descriptive statement, providing
examples of the types of content covered by the test objective.

Each multiple-choice item is written to assess understanding of a test objective.

Each open-response item is written to assess understanding of one or more test objectives.

The number of test objectives within a given subarea generally determines the proportion of
multiple-choice items that will address that subarea on a test. In other words, subareas with
a greater number of test objectives will generally receive more emphasis (i.e., have a greater
number of corresponding multiple-choice items) on the test than those with fewer test
objectives. The number of test items and subarea proportions for each MTEL test are indicated
in the Test Overview Chart found in this guide.

The chart below illustrates the relationship among subareas, test objectives, descriptive
statements, and test items in a typical test field.

SAMPLE

Test

General Science

Subarea

Science and Technology/Engineering

Objective

0014 Understand and apply basic concepts and principles of life science to interpret and analyze phenomena.

Descriptive Statement

For example, basic characteristics and needs of living things; basic concepts and processes related to cells and organisms; plant structures, functions, and processes (e.g., photosynthesis); the systems of the human body; basic principles of genetics and heredity; and how organisms interact with one another and their environments.